Two Roads Diverged into a Yellow Wood…

Choices. We are faced with choices every day. Do I hit the snooze button one more time? Should I call in sick to work? Can we afford this vacation?

We are constantly making decisions about these options whether they are as simple as sleeping in or as complex as moving to a different country. About ten years ago, I was hit with a big choice of whether or not to change colleges and move to a different city.

I was about half way through my first year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and I did not like the direction that my life was heading. I spent a lot of time partying and not a lot of time studying or going to class. I was also going in the opposite direction of God, and I knew that I needed to make some changes. I started praying that God would give me some other options, and he brought me to Murfreesboro, TN and more specifically Middle Tennessee State University. Now that I was in a new place, I had another big decision to make in my life. With this new beginning, was I going to continue on the same path of living my life, or was I going to choose a new path? I decided to choose a new path.

Towards the end of the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible, Moses is speaking to the Israelites right before he tells them that Joshua, not himself, will be the one to lead them into the land promised to them. He died not too long after speaking these words to the people. Listen to what he says:

“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

So as we go about our day-to-day choices and come to forks in the road, let us choose the path of life. It might be the road less travelled and more difficult to follow, but choosing life and blessings over death and curses will make all the difference.

Please, bow your head to pray

Why is it that we stand and place our hands on our hearts when we pledge our allegiance to a flag or pose in a similar way to verbally sing an anthem about our country, but we quietly sit and bow our heads when we speak to our living God?

I know that this question alone will really turn people off to what I have to say, but I do not want to attack the country that I am from. I am proud to be from a place that offers freedom and privileges that I might not receive in other locations. In fact, this blog entry has nothing to do with patriotism but with our posture toward God.

I really enjoy watching hockey, and I have been a Detroit Red Wings fan for my whole life. They were put out of the playoffs this postseason, but I have still been watching some of the other games. Recently, I found myself watching the Montreal v. Pittsburgh game while I read my book, but I was so distracted by the game that I postponed my reading. I could have turned it off, but I was too excited to stop watching. The crowd was insane! It was being played in Montreal, and they are fantastic hockey fanatics. I found myself rooting for the Canadians and could barely contain myself when they scored their goals (much like when I am watching my Wings). I physically jumped up out of my seat when they scored and did some fist pumping in the air. This is my reaction when I watch a hockey game. My body positioning reflects my inner emotions. Now back to my prayer posture.

I am not saying that praying while sitting with your head bowed is bad. In fact, I think it does show a position of humility. What about when I am praising God for being so good? I should be jumping out of my seat as I do in a hockey game. What about when I am frustrated and crying out to Him? I should be on my knees or on my face verbally crying out to Him. Instead, we typically have the same posture for all sorts of prayers. Sitting in silence with our heads bowed.

Sitting is a posture of prayer found only one time in the Bible (2 Samuel 7:18), and was really not prevalent until pews entered into the church during the Middle Ages. Standing with hands raised, kneeling, or lying facedown were more common ways of praying. I desire to seek after God with all of my being and that includes my posture. Let us humble ourselves enough in our prayers and worship to God to express our love and other emotions with our body language.